Trackless dark ride vehicle, system, and method

ABSTRACT

A motion assembly that produces pitch and roll motions includes lower and upper plates. A pivotable coupling having upper and lower shafts extending from its center is coupled between the upper and lower plates. At least two linear actuators are coupled between the plates. Extension and retraction of the actuators pivots the upper plate about the pivotable coupling relative to the lower plate. A vehicle includes two steerable propulsion wheels coupled to a chassis. A lower plate of a pitch and roll assembly, similar to that just described, couples to the chassis via a slew bearing. Seating is coupled to the upper plate. The seating rotates with respect to the chassis via controlled rotation of the slew bearing with reference to the chassis. The seating can be rotated to point in any direction with respect to the chassis regardless of the direction the steerable propulsion wheels move the chassis.

RELATION TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of pending U.S. Non-Provisionalapplication Ser. No. 13/470,244 filed on May 11, 2012 and claimspriority through U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/484,942, filed onMay 11, 2011.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed invention is directed to multi-passenger vehicles used inamusement park rides. More specifically, the vehicle is battery operatedand includes features permitting passengers to experience motion withthree degrees of freedom (yaw, pitch, and roll) while simultaneouslybeing propelled along a preprogrammed route, which is autonomouslytraveled by the vehicle without use of a mechanical track or wirestretched along the route.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vehicles for amusement park rides have existed for a long time. Earliestvehicles rode on tracks. These vehicles were loud, due to themetal-on-metal sound of wheels on tracks. Rides making use of thesevehicles were not amenable to changes, because of the difficulty ofremoving, reconfiguring, and reinstalling the tracks. Additionally,these vehicles were not selfpowered. Each vehicle, or a string ofvehicles, may have been coupled to a rope, chain, or cable that ran in acontinuous loop throughout the ride. The movement of the rope, chain, orcable also caused undesirable noise. Moreover, the mere existence of therope, chain, or cable posed a physical threat (due to tripping orentanglement) to any person departing the safety of the ride vehicle andto the amusement ride operators themselves.

An innovation applied to the earliest vehicles came in the form of anon-board electric motor that was powered by an off-board power supply.To transfer electrical power to the electric motor, vehicles running ontracks made use of a “third rail” that ran between or to the side of thetracks typically at a predetermined fixed distance from the track.Conductive metal brushes or shoes protruding from the vehicle madecontact with the third rail. Electrical power typically ran from thethird rail to the electric motor of the vehicle via the brushes or shoesand was returned to ground via the vehicle's metal wheel making contactwith the grounded metal track of the ride. Electrical vehicles of thistype presented the serious danger of electrocution of a patron if thepatron left the ride vehicle and stumbled on an electrified third-rail.Additionally, electrical vehicles of this type were still bound to atrack and all of the problems related thereto.

Not all electric ride vehicles are bound to tracks. Vehicles such as“bumper cars,” which are steered by the passenger, typically obtainedelectrical power via a brush or solid conductor scraping across anelectrified grid positioned above the ride. Electrical current wasreturned to ground via similar contacts or metal rollers directly to thesolid metal floor of the ride. Electrical vehicles of this type alsopresent the serious danger of electrocution of a patron if the patronmade contact with an improperly insulated pole (supporting the contactscraping the electrified grid above the ride) and ground at the sametime. These vehicles moreover typically presented the problem of a lackof safety features that could disable one or all of the vehicles in theride if a patron was to leave a vehicle during the ride. Similar lack ofsafety features were present in electrified vehicles running on tracks.

Innovations relating to the powering of vehicles freed some vehiclesfrom tracks. For example, Disney Enterprises, Inc. introduced abattery-powered ride vehicle in 1982 at its “Universe of Energy”pavilion at EPCOT® theme park. The World According to Jack,http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/20 1 Oil O/universe_oLenergyl.html (last visited May 8, 2012). In this ride, patrons “weretransported through the pavilion in large battery-powered ‘travelingtheatre cars’ that followed guide-wires embedded in the floor as opposedto riding along conventional ride tracks.” Wikipedia,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe_oLEnergy (last visited Apr. 17,2012). This type of ride presents two problems in the field of ridevehicles.

First, the locomotion of large battery-operated vehicles consumes agreat deal of energy. Storage of a large amount of energy requires manyrechargeable-type batteries. For the Universe of Energy vehicles, “eachvehicle carries eight automotive batteries. Of course, these batteriesneed to be recharged frequently so within the attraction's twoturntables are ‘charging plates’ that contain electromagnets. Themagnets work in conjunction with onboard magnets that create an electriccurrent that is transferred to the vehicle's batteries.” The WorldAccording to Jack, supra. It is believed that the ratio of the amount oftime this type of vehicle spends on its charging station (e.g.,turntable) vs. the amount of time the vehicle spends moving under itsown power, is greater than one. Accordingly, the vehicle's batteries areslowly being charged for long periods relative to the time when thevehicle is in motion.

Second, vehicles that use guide-wires embedded in a floor, similar tovehicles that ride on tracks, are not amenable to changes in theconfiguration of the vehicle's path of travel, because of the difficultyof removing, reconfiguring, and reinstalling the wires. Moreover, justlike tracks, a vehicle following a guide wire must stay on the guidewire, therefore, it must eventually return to the point from which itbegan its journey and cannot easily, if at all, follow a path thatcrosses over itself.

Still other problems confront designers of modern amusement rides.Patrons are no longer satisfied with simply moving through a ride whilebeing maintained in one plane of travel. Patrons may wish to experienceyaw (i.e., rotation in the x-y plane), pitch (i.e., climb and dive),roll (pitching left and right), and heave (vertical motion along thez-axis). Motion assemblies exist that provide these four degrees ofmotion to ride patrons; however, due to the very large consumption ofpower (necessitated by moving a platform that supports the weight of agiven number of patrons through space in these directions), known fourdegree of freedom motion assemblies are coupled to fixed supplies ofelectrical power. This limits the mounting of prior art motionassemblies either to fixed locations or to mounts on tracks that use a“third rail” type of electrical connection to supply power to the motionassembly. The former situation is problematic at least because patronsare usually confined to a single room (which may move in yaw, roll,pitch, and heave) while images are projected on the walls within theroom. The latter situation is problematic at least because patrons faceall the same issues faced by patrons of older ride vehicles that wereconfined to riding on tracks; additionally there is the danger ofelectrocution if a patron was to leave the ride vehicle and stumble onthe electrified third-rail.

Still other problems exist with respect to the motions of prior artvehicles. For example, there are no known prior art vehicles that can“crab,” that is, move in a linearly diagonal direction at a given angle,for example 45° while the vehicle faces forward at 0°. Additionally,known prior art vehicles do not typically cross over their own paths oroperate simultaneously with other vehicles while following paths thatinterweave the vehicles. The ability to interweave the paths of multiplesimultaneously operating ride vehicles is desirable in 3 situationswhere ride designers want to mimic the seemingly random patterns made bya moving school of fish, a swooping flock of sparrows, or a running herdof wild animals.

The recharging of battery operated vehicles is also problematic.Designers of battery operated vehicles might base the battery capacityon the expected amount of charge needed to be stored to move a fullyloaded vehicle through a show from start to finish, for a given numberof shows per day; this amount of charge might be called the maximumcharge value. During the course of the show(s), the charge would bedrained from the battery. A typical battery might be cycled from 100% ofits maximum charge value down to 10% of its maximum charge value;because a typical design would extract all of the charge possible fromthe battery before recharging the battery. Once the battery was depleted(e.g., to the 10% level), the battery would be connected to a chargingsystem that would slowly charge the battery from its depleted level backto the maximum charge value for the next show. Rapid charging was notpossible, as batteries would overheat if too much charge were pushedinto them too quickly. Therefore, once a vehicle's charge was depletedit would be taken out of service for recharging. An out of servicevehicle would need to be replaced by an extra vehicle.

What is needed is a ride vehicle that is self-powered, can find its waythrough an amusement by dead-reckoning, is mechanically designed andelectrically managed to be efficient in its use of energy, is notrestricted to draw energy from a track or follow a track or wire, can beprogrammed to travel in a seemingly random pattern while crossing overthe paths of other vehicles operating simultaneously in close proximity,permits independent rotation of an upper passenger platform with respectto a lower steering and propulsion platform, where the upper platformmoves in pitch and roll and the rotates with respect to the lowerplatform to move in yaw, and is not required to be removed from service,or sit in one location for a long period of time relative to the time itis in motion, to recharge its batteries.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed invention obviates the aforementioned inconveniencies anddeficiencies of conventional systems and schemes associated withvehicles for rides in amusement parks. In accordance with an embodimentof the invention, a motion assembly configured to produce pitch and rollmotions may include a lower reaction plate oriented in a horizontalplane, an upper reaction plate spaced apart from the lower reactionplate, a pivotable coupling having an upper shaft and a lower shaftextending away from a center of the pivotable coupling and terminatingat respective upper and lower shaft ends, the upper shaft end coupled tothe upper reaction plate and the lower shaft end coupled to the lowerreaction plate, and when the pivotable coupling is oriented verticallyits central axis is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and at leasttwo linear actuators spaced apart from each other and from the pivotablecoupling, and coupled at respective upper ends to the upper reactionplate and at respective lower ends to the lower reaction plate, andconfigured to extend and retract to pivot the upper reaction plate aboutthe pivotable coupling to produce pitch and roll motions of the upperreaction plate relative to the lower reaction plate.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention a vehicle mayinclude a first steerable propulsion wheel coupled to the chassis andconfigured to rotate a first wheel to a first commanded direction androtate the first wheel at a first commanded speed, a second steerablepropulsion wheel coupled to the chassis and configured to rotate asecond wheel to a second commanded direction and rotate the second wheelat a second commanded speed, a lower reaction plate coupled to thechassis, an upper reaction plate spaced apart from the lower reactionplate, a pivotable coupling having an upper shaft and a lower shaftextending away from a center of the pivotable coupling and terminatingat respective upper and lower shaft ends, the upper shaft end fixed tothe upper reaction plate and the lower shaft end fixed to the lowerreaction plate, and at least two linear actuators spaced apart from eachother and from the pivotable coupling and coupled at respective upperends to the upper reaction plate and at respective lower ends to thelower reaction plate, and configured to extend and retract to pivot theupper reaction plate about the pivotable coupling to produce pitch androll motions of the upper reaction plate relative to the lower reactionplate.

The vehicle may further include a slew bearing fixed to the chassis andhaving a slew bearing gear rotatable with respect to the chassis, a slewbearing pinion motor having a shaft, the slew bearing pinion motor fixedto the chassis, a slew bearing pinion fixed to the shaft, the pinionengaging the slew bearing gear and configured to rotate at a commandedslew speed and direction, wherein the lower reaction plate is coupled tothe chassis via the slew bearing by fixing the lower reaction plate tothe slew bearing, wherein the lower reaction plate rotates with the slewbearing and produces a yaw motion of the upper reaction plate withrespect to the chassis.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a vehicle mayinclude a controller, a memory operationally coupled to the controller,a communication interface operationally coupled to the controller andconfigured to communicate with a ride system controller that is remoteto the vehicle, a chassis, a battery configured as a sole source ofoperating energy of the vehicle, first and second independentlycontrolled steerable propulsion wheels fixed to the chassis andconfigured to propel and steer the vehicle according to commands issuedby the controller, a lower reaction plate coupled to the chassis, anupper reaction plate spaced apart from the lower reaction plate, apivotable coupling having an upper shaft and a lower shaft extendingaway from a center of the pivotable coupling and terminating atrespective upper and lower shaft ends, the upper shaft end fixed to theupper reaction plate and the lower shaft end fixed to the lower reactionplate, and at least two linear actuators spaced apart from each otherand from the pivotable coupling, and coupled at respective upper ends tothe upper reaction plate and at respective lower ends to the lowerreaction plate, and configured to extend and retract to pivot the upperreaction plate about the pivotable coupling to produce pitch and rollmotions of the upper reaction plate relative to the lower reactionplate.

In accordance with still another embodiment of the invention, a vehiclemay include a chassis, a first propulsion wheel coupled to the chassis,a second propulsion wheel coupled to the chassis and spaced apart fromthe first propulsion wheel, a slew bearing having a first side fixed tothe chassis and a second side comprising a slew bearing gear rotatablewith respect to the chassis, a motor configured to rotate the slewbearing gear, a platform coupled to the second side of the slew bearing,wherein the platform rotates with respect to the chassis by action ofthe motor, and seating coupled to the platform, the seating having afront side and a back side, opposite to the front side, where theseating front side can be rotated to point in any direction with respectto the chassis by operation of the motor regardless of any direction oftravel of the chassis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Several figures are provided herein to further the explanation of thedisclosed invention. More specifically:

FIG. 1 is a top-side isometric view of a transport assembly of a vehiclein accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom-side isometric view of the transport assembly of thevehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top-side isometric view of the transport assembly of FIG. 1with a motion assembly mounted thereon, wherein a portion of the motionassembly is shown in partial cutaway/partial phantom view, all inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the transport assembly and motionassembly of the vehicle of FIG. 3 with passenger seating mounted atopthe motion assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is an example of a powered steerable propulsion wheel of the kindshown in FIGS. 1,2, and 3, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D illustrate various motions that can beaccomplished by a transport assembly of a vehicle in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 7 A and 7B are front-lower and rear-upper isometric views of amotion assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a right-side partial-cross-section elevation view of a vehiclein accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a vehicle and system in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary. As such, thedescriptions herein are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosedinvention. Instead, the scope of the disclosed invention is governed bythe scope of the appended claims.

The ride vehicle described herein may be comprised of three assemblies:the transport assembly, the motion assembly, and the passenger assembly.The motion assembly mounts on top of the transport assembly. Thepassenger assembly mounts on top of the motion assemblies. The inventionis not limited to this configuration. Each of the three assemblies willbe described in order below.

FIG. 1 is a top-side isometric view of a transport assembly of a vehicle100, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is abottom-side isometric view of the transport assembly of the vehicle ofFIG. 1. The transport assembly 100 is a structural frame of the ridevehicle. The transport assembly 100 provides multidirectionalpropulsion. The transport assembly 100 includes a chassis 102. Thechassis 102 supports the weight of the vehicle and all occupants ridingtherein. The transport assembly 100 further includes two steerablepropulsion wheels 104, 106, which together may constitute the propulsionsystem of the transport assembly 100, and two passive casters 108, 109.As used herein, a passive caster 108, 109 is comprised of at least onewheel mounted in a swivel frame and used to support the vehicle. As usedherein a steerable propulsion wheel 104, 106 is a device employed torealize steering of its wheel via an integrated steering motor andrealize rotation of its wheel to propel the device over a surface oftravel by use of an integrated drive motor and transmission assembly.The steering motor can rotate a wheel of the steerable propulsion wheelin 360 degrees of rotation about the z-axis. The steerable propulsionwheels 104, 106 may be mounted to the chassis 102 in spaced apartlocations directly opposite one another.

The passive casters 108, 109 may be mounted to the chassis 102 in spacedapart locations directly opposite one another and rotated 90 degreeswith respect to the locations of the two steerable propulsion wheels104, 106. The wheels 112 of the passive casters 108, 109 arefreewheeling; that is, the wheels 112 are free to roll clockwise andcounterclockwise and are free 8 to swivel (rotate) in any direction.Other configurations of steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 and passivecasters 108, 109 are possible; however, the preferred embodiment of theinvention includes at least two steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106. Ina preferred embodiment, as shown, the steerable propulsion wheels 104,106 are positioned at 270 and 90 degrees with respect to the chassis102. It is, however, within the scope of the invention to position thesteerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 at 0 and 180 degrees with respectto the chassis 102.

The chassis 102 may support a battery assembly 114, a controlelectronics assembly, a motor driver assembly, and various sensors usedin cooperation with an on-board navigation system (not shown).

The battery assembly 114 may include a rechargeable battery 910, whichmay be comprised of one or more battery cells, and a battery managementsystem 912. The battery 910 provides all the energy needed for operationof the ride vehicle between recharging. The battery management system912 controls and monitors the charging of the battery 910. The batterymanagement system 912 may monitor voltage, temperature, and otherparameters of the battery 910 to permit recharging without damaging theelements of the battery 910.

In order to recharge the ride vehicle's battery 910 during times thatthe vehicle could be coupled to an energizing/charging system, such aswhile loading or unloading passengers or while paused for a sufficientamount of time at a location within a ride environment, it wasdetermined that it was necessary to provide a given and relatively largeamount of power/energy to the vehicle in a short amount of time. Theamount of power/energy is dependent on the demands of a given ridevehicle. The amount of time is generally limited by the amount of time avehicle spends while loading and/or unloading passengers and by theamount of time, if any, the vehicle remains paused within the ride. Suchpauses may occur while the vehicle occupants are watching a movie orother presentation. Additionally, the total amount of time needed forrecharging may be divided between multiple charging stations that may bevisited by a given vehicle in a given ride environment. These values arereadably determined without any undue need for experimentation. Knownbatteries and charging systems were found to be insufficient for thispurpose.

In overcoming the problems encountered with known batteries andenergizing/charging systems, it was determined that a battery with alarge capacity would permit a greater amount of power/energy to beapplied to the battery as a function of time in comparison to a batterywith a smaller capacity. The final resulting battery for a given ridevehicle depends on the vehicles voltage and current demands as well asthe limits imposed on time available for charging as described above. Asuitable battery capacity can be determined without undueexperimentation once the variables described above are provided to oneof skill in the art. The acceptable level of battery depletion betweencharges may also be a function of the variables described above, and maybe unique to every different type of vehicle.

The inventors obtained an unexpected benefit from their decision tomaximize battery capacity (to permit high current fast recharging). Thecapacity required for fast charging was over and above the actualcapacity needed for the ride vehicle. Having excess capacity providedthe unexpected benefit of reducing the amount of recharging required forride vehicle operation; thus, reducing the amount of time needed forrecharging. Additionally realized due to use of a battery that hadgreater capacity than required for operational needs was the unexpectedbenefit of only using a small amount of the battery capacity during eachshow. According to an embodiment of the invention, the battery 910cycles between 90 to 100 percent of its full capacity.

The chassis 102 may also support an O-shaped rotational rolling-elementbearing, referred to in the art as a “slewing bearing” or “slew bearing”120. The slew bearing 120 may include an inner and/or an outer gear. Inthe embodiment of FIG. 1, the teeth of the slew bearing 120 gear arevisible on the outer surface of the slew bearing 120. As used herein,for purpose of abbreviation, the portion of the slew bearing 120 thatincludes the gear will be referred to as the “slew bearing upper-half”122. The base of the slew bearing 120 may be referred to as the “slewbearing lower-half” 123. The slew bearing pinion motor 827 (FIG. 8) maybe comprised of a driveshaft 126 fixed to a slew bearing pinion 124. Theslew bearing upper-half 122 rotates in the slew bearing lower-half 123.As the lower half is fixed to the chassis 102, the rotation is withrespect to the chassis 102. The teeth of the slew bearing pinion 124engage the teeth of the slew bearing upper-half 122. The slew bearingpinion motor 827 (FIG. 8) may be fixed to the chassis 102. Accordingly,the drive shaft 126 of the slew bearing pinion motor 827 (FIG. 8), andthe 10 driving gear 124, maintain affixed position relative to thechassis 102 while the slew bearing pinion 124 rotates relative to thechassis. The slew bearing upper-half 122 may be driven clockwise orcounterclockwise, with respect to the chassis, according to thedirection of rotation of the slew bearing pinion 124.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the pinion 124 is positioned outside of theslew bearing 120. In an alternate embodiment (not shown), the pinion 124may be positioned inside the slew bearing 120. In this alternateconfiguration, the inner gear of the slew bearing 120 would include meshwith a corresponding gear of the pinion 124. In either configuration,the slew bearing upper-half 122 can be rotated, without any need tostop, in the clockwise or counter-clockwise directions. In other words,in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the slew bearing upper-half122 can be driven clockwise or counterclockwise by an angular amountgreater than 360 degrees, without any need to return to an earlierposition by rotating in the opposite direction.

An optical encoder 210 indirectly coupled to the slew bearing upper-half122 may monitor and output information relating to the rotation of theslew bearing 122 to a processor 901. With knowledge of the magnitude anddirection of rotation, and of the diameters of the slew bearingupper-half 122 and the pinion 124 at the point where their gears mesh,the processor 901 can calculate the angular position of a referencepoint set on the slew bearing upper-half 122 in relation to acorresponding reference point on the chassis 102.

Additionally, in an embodiment of the invention, a first part 301 of asensor can be directly or indirectly coupled to the slew bearingupper-half 122 and a second part 130 of the sensor can be affixed to thechassis 102. The slew bearing upper-half 122 can be driven clockwise orcounterclockwise until a signal from the sensor indicates that the firstand second parts 301, 130 are in alignment. In this way, a processorcontrolling the motion of the slew bearing upper-half 122 and monitoringthe output of the sensor can rotate the slew bearing upper-half 122 to aknown “home” position. All applicable sensor types, such as, forexample, a Hall type sensor, an optical sensor, and a point contactsensor, are within the scope of the invention.

The chassis 102 may also include a slip ring or rotary joint 132, topermit communications and power to be transferred to and from componentsof the chassis 102 to the 11 portions of the vehicle coupled to the slewbearing upper-half 122. A rotary joint 132 is desirable because, asexplained above, there is no limit to the amount of rotation of the slewbearing upper-half 122 with respect to the chassis 102.

The chassis 102 may also include a bumper system 134 that can absorb theenergy of an impact and spread the load of the impact into the chassis102. The bumper system 134 may include a durable-compressible foammaterial 136 sandwiched between an outer wall 138 of the chassis 102 anda resilient outer covering 140, such as a thin sheet of metal. The foammaterial 136 may be glued or otherwise secured to the outer wall 138.The foam material 136 and the resilient outer covering 140 may berealized in segments 142 that abut or overlap each other. In oneembodiment attached to the chassis using bolts and spacer tubes,allowing deflection of the bolts without any protruding hardware. Thesegments 142 may be anchored to the foam material 136 and/or the outerwall 138 of the chassis 102. The resilient outer covering 140 may beoverlaid with another resilient material 144 such as neoprene (to absorbor deflect minor contacts with surfaces. According to a preferredembodiment, the bumper system 134 can absorb and rebound from contactwith another similar vehicle or a wall or fixed object in the rideenvironment when the vehicle is moving at its highest allowable speed.

FIG. 3 is a top-side isometric view of the transport assembly 100 ofFIG. 1 with a motion assembly 300 mounted thereon, wherein a portion ofthe motion assembly 300 is shown in partial cutaway/partial phantomview, all in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In moredetail, the motion assembly 300 may be placed on the top surface of theslew bearing upper-half 122 and fixed to the slew bearing upper-half122. In a preferred embodiment, the motion assembly 300 is bolted to theslew bearing upper-half 122. The components of, and the function of, themotion assembly 300 will be described in detail later, with reference toFIGS. 7 A and 7B.

By way of introduction, the motion assembly 300 may include a lowerreaction plate 302, a pivot joint or pivotable coupling 304, an upperreaction plate 306 (shown in partial cutaway/partial phantom view), andat least two linear actuators 308, 310. The lower reaction plate 302 isfixed to the slew bearing upper-half 122, as explained above. Thepivotable coupling 304 is coupled at a lower end to the lower reactionplate 302 and at an upper end to the 12 upper reaction plate 306. In oneembodiment, the pivotable coupling 304 is mounted above the geometriccenter of the slew bearing 120; however, other locations are acceptable.The linear actuators 308 are each coupled at a lower end to the lowerreaction plate 302 and at an upper end to the upper reaction plate 306.The linear actuators 308, 310 are spaced apart from each other and fromthe pivotable coupling 304. In one embodiment, a first linear actuator308 is positioned on the right-rear side of the motion assembly 300 anda second linear actuator 310 is positioned on the left-rear side of themotion assembly 300, both further toward the rear of the motion assembly300 than the pivotable coupling 304. Other orientations are acceptable,so long as the alternate orientation results in a motion assembly whoseupper reaction plate is moved in pitch and roll with relation to thelower reaction plate and the movement is centered above the pivotablecoupling 304, where the pivotable coupling is a substantially fixedheight and substantially non-compressible.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a vehicle 400 comprised of the combinedtransport assembly 100 and motion assembly 300 of FIG. 3, andadditionally includes a passenger platform 402 mounted atop the motionassembly 300 and rows of seating 404 mounted atop the passenger platform402, all in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In analternate embodiment, the rows of seating could be mounted directly tothe upper reaction plate 306 without a need for a separate passengerplatform 402. In the alternate embodiment, the upper reaction plate 306would serve the purpose of a passenger platform.

For purposes of discussion herein, using FIG. 4 as a reference, the rowsof seats 404 and the transport assembly 100 of the vehicle 400 areconsidered as facing forward toward 0 degrees on a compass. The rightsides of the rows of seats 404 and of the transport assembly 100 of thevehicle 400 are adjacent to a point at 90 degrees on the compass. Theback sides of the rows of seats 404 and the back side of the transportassembly 100 of the vehicle 400 face back toward to 180 degrees on thecompass. The left sides of the rows of seats 404 and the transportassembly 100 of the vehicle 400 are adjacent to a point at 270 degreeson the compass. Of course, the rows of seats 404 and the transportassembly 100 can face and travel in other directions whilesimultaneously being in alignment or while being rotated about eachother by virtue of the coupling of the rows of sets to the slew bearingupper-half 122. As used herein, using FIG. 4 for reference, the y-axisis aligned with the 180 and 0 degree points on the compass, 13 thex-axis is aligned with the 270 and 90 degree points on the compass, andthe z-axis extends upward perpendicular to the surface on which thevehicle 400 sits. The words “moving forward” or “traveling forward”indicate motion in an increasingly positive direction along the y-axis.Motions or travel to the left, right, and reverse (or back or backward)directions have their customary meanings with reference to the forwarddirection.

The preferred embodiment of FIG. 4 illustrates two parallel rows ofseating: a front row 404F, and a back row 404B. The rows of seating areperpendicular to the y-axis. In the embodiment shown, each of the rowsof seats 404 includes four seats. Even numbers of rows and seats arepreferred. However, other configurations and numbers of seats are withinthe scope of the invention. For example, a fewer or greater number ofseats in one or more rows and odd numbers of rows and/or seats in therows are within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, seats arrangedin a circle, facing inward or outward, are also within the scope of theinvention.

According to the preferred embodiment, the two rows of seats 404 havingfour seats each are positioned equidistant from an imaginary point onthe upper surface of the passenger platform 402. The vertical axispassing through this point preferably passes through the geometriccenter of the slew bearing 120. This permits a non-eccentric rotation ofthe rows of seats 404 with respect to the slew bearing 120. If thispoint is also positioned above a midpoint on an imaginary horizontalaxis running between the left and right steerable propulsion wheels 104,106, the center of rotation of the rows of seats 404 will coincide withrespect to the center of motion of the chassis 102. If this point alsointersects an imaginary vertical axis running through the pivotablecoupling 304, the rows of seats, which are positioned equidistant fromthis point, will experience relatively equal amounts of verticaldeflection as the motion assembly 300 moves in pitch and roll. Ofcourse, other positions of the rows of seats 404 with respect to thepoint, and with respect to the point, the imaginary axis running betweenthe left and right steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106, and thevertical axis of the pivotable coupling 304 are within the scope of theinvention. Nevertheless, with alignment described above, the seatingdepicted in FIG. 4 are all subject to relatively equal experiencesduring yaw, pitch, and roll maneuvers. 14

FIG. 5 is an example of a powered steerable propulsion wheel 500(similar to 104, 106 FIGS. 1-3), in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. The steerable propulsion wheel 500 includes an electricalmotor 502 and a transmission assembly 504 mounted on opposite sides of abase plate 506. If used in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the base plate 506may be fixed to the chassis 102 of the transport assembly 100. The motor502 drives the transmission 504, which drives the wheel 508. Thetransmission 504 is configured to rotate the wheel 508 of the steerablepropulsion wheel 500 in a plane perpendicular to the ground to providemotive force to the transport assembly 100. The powered steerablepropulsion wheel 500 further includes an electrical steering motor 510mounted to one side of the base plate 506. The shaft 512 of the steeringmotor 510 is fixed to a steering pinion gear 514. The steering piniongear 514 engages a directional gear 516. Similar to the operation of theslew bearing 120 and slew bearing pinion 124, the directional gear 516is fixed to the transmission assembly 504, which is fixed to and rotatesin a horizontal plane with the swivelable wheel 508 of the steerablepropulsion wheel 500. The steering motor 510 is fixed to the base plate506. The shaft 512 of the steering motor 510 and the steering piniongear 514 maintains their location relative to the base plate 506. Whenthe shaft 512 of the steering motor 510 rotates the steering pinion gear514, the directional gear 516 rotates relative to the base 506 andthereby forces the transmission assembly 504, and the wheel 508 coupledthereto, to swivel around a vertical axis. In accordance with thisdescription, a processor would be able to execute commands to drive theelectrical motor 502 at a given speed. With knowledge of thetransmission assembly's 504 gearing ratio and with knowledge of thediameter of wheel 508, the processor would be able to calculate theamount of rotation of the wheel 508 in a given amount of time.Accordingly, the processor could determine how far the steerablepropulsion wheel 500 had moved across a surface. Additionally, givenknowledge of the amount of rotation of the shaft 512 of the steeringmotor 510 and the diameters of the steering pinion gear 514 anddirectional gear 516, the processor could command the swivelable wheel508 to steer in any direction on the compass.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D illustrate various motions that can beaccomplished by a transport assembly 600 of a vehicle having twosteerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 and two passive casters 108, 109 inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. The illustrations aretop views. Rows of seats 404F, 404B are shown for reference. In theillustrations, the seats 404F, 404B remain pointed at 0 degrees, whilethe transport assembly 600 rotates underneath 15 them. Rotation of thetransport assembly 600 relative to the seats 404F, 404B is achieved bythe action of the slew bearing 120.

FIG. 6A illustrates three forward directions of motion achieved by atransport assembly 600 having steerable propulsion wheels and passivecasters configured in the manner of the vehicle 400 of FIG. 4. In theillustration of FIG. 6A, the steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 andthe wheels of the passive casters 108, 109 are depicted as being alignedparallel to the y axis (which is understood to be 0 degrees). To achievethis alignment, if the steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 are notalready so aligned, a processor (not shown) can command each steerablepropulsion wheel 104, 106 to rotate to 0 degrees. As travel begins, thepassive casters 108, 109 will align with the steerable propulsion wheels104, 106.

With the left and right steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 positionedat 0 degrees, a command from the processor to simultaneously drive thewheels of the left and right steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 at thesame speed in a forward direction will cause the vehicle 600 to bepropelled forward, in a direction of arrow 602.

A command to rotate both the left and right steerable propulsion wheels104, 106 forward, where the left wheel 104 is commanded to rotate slowerthan the right wheel 106, will cause the vehicle to be propelled in awide curving left turn, as indicated by arrow 606.

A command to rotate the both the left and right steerable propulsionwheels 104, 106 forward, where the left wheel 104 is commanded to rotatefaster than the right wheel 106, will cause the vehicle to be propelledin a wide curving right turn, as indicated by arrow 608.

The widths of the turns described above may be determined by thedifference in speed between the left and right steerable propulsionwheels 104, 106. For example, command to rotate only the right wheel 106forward, without rotating the left wheel 104 will cause the vehicle tobe propelled in a sharp left turn. A command to rotate only the leftwheel 104 forward, without rotating the right wheel 106 will cause thevehicle to be propelled in a sharp right turn.

Reversing the directions of the rotating wheels will cause the vehicleto be propelled in respective reverse directions. 16

A benefit of the configuration of at least two steerable propulsionwheels 104, 106 and passive casters 108, 109 is that the vehicle 600 canbe made to perform zero degree turns as shown in FIG. 6B. Such a turnmay be executed with the wheels of the left and right steerablepropulsion wheels 104, 106 at their 0 degree bearing positions while theprocessor issues commands to rotate the wheels of the steerablepropulsion wheels 104, 106 in opposite directions at equal speeds.Clockwise and counter clockwise zero degree turns, as represented byarrow 610, can be performed by reversing the respective rotationdirections of the wheels. As shown in FIG. 6B, because the passivecasters 108, 109 are free to swivel in any direction, they naturally andpassively swivel to a direction that is perpendicular to the directionof steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 (after movement of the vehiclecommences)

Another benefit of the configuration of at least two steerablepropulsion wheels 104, 106 (and passive casters 108, 109) is that thetransport assembly 600 can be made to “crab” to the left or right.Typically, the term “crab,” is used in the context of aircraftnavigation. Merriam-Webster's dictionary, defines “crab” as “the angulardifference between an aircraft's course and the heading necessary tomake that course in the presence of a crosswind.” In the aircraftcontext, a crosswind is a direction of the wind that is not parallel tothe aircraft's course. By way of example, if a landing strip ran in aNorth-South direction (where North is at 0 degrees and south is at 180degrees) along the y-axis, and a crosswind was blowing in from theright, the aircraft might assume a heading of 5 degrees in ordermaintain a course (i.e., a direction of travel) of zero degrees forlanding.

In the context of the present application, the term “crab” takes on adifferent meaning. As used herein, the term crab is best described byway of the following examples. In FIG. 6C the rows of seating 604 f,604B are maintained in the forward direction, such that a seatedpassenger would be facing in the direction of arrow 612, parallel to they-axis, while at the same time the transport assembly 600 of the vehicleis moving in a diagonal direction as shown by arrow 614. Although arrow614 is depicted as pointing toward 45 degrees, for purposes of crabbing,the angle between the direction that the rows of seats 604 f, 604B arefacing and the direction that the transport assembly 600 is moving willbe greater than 0 degrees. In other words, as shown in FIG. 6C, whilethe rows of seats 604F, 604B and the passengers thereon face degrees,the vehicle “crabs” in a direction of 45 degrees. Crabbing is notlimited to linear 17 motions. The vehicle may crab, for example, along acurve, circle, or increasing or decreasing diameter spiral.

To achieve a crabbing motion such as that depicted in FIG. 6C, theprocessor commands the steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 to rotateclockwise to a direction of 45 degrees and to simultaneously rotate atthe same speed. In this state, although the seats 404F, 404B of thevehicle face toward 0 degrees, the transport assembly 600 of the vehiclemoves in the direction of arrow 614, that is, 45 degrees.

Vehicles in accordance with embodiments of the invention are configuredto crab to the left or the right, in both forward and reversedirections. A vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the inventioncan crab at any angle between, but not equal to, 0 and 180 degrees andbetween, but not equal to, 180 and 360 degrees (the angles of 0 and 180degree are reserved for forward and reverse motion, respectively).Nevertheless, vehicles in accordance with embodiments of the inventioncan be said to be crabbing if the transport assembly is rotating througha range of angular positions that include 0, 180, or 360 degrees. Forexample, if the rows of seats 404F, 404B were maintained in a positionpointing at 0 degrees, while the transport assembly 600 followed a curvethat caused its “front” to point at an arc including the range of 120 to200 degrees, the vehicle would be crabbing despite it having passedthrough 180 degrees.

FIG. 6D illustrates a case where the processor commands the steerablepropulsion wheels 104, 106 to swivel clockwise to head toward 90 degreesand to simultaneously rotate at the same speed. In this state, althoughthe seats 404F, 404B of the vehicle point toward 0 degrees, thetransport assembly 600 of the vehicle moves in the direction of arrow616, directly to the right toward 90 degrees in the direction of arrow618. Crabbing to the left (i.e. a moving in the direction of 270degrees) can be accomplished by reversing the direction of rotation ofthe wheels, while maintaining the orientation at 90 degrees, or byrotating the steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106 to head toward 270degrees and to simultaneously rotate at the same speed in the samedirection.

Crabbing motion is not possible with a trackless vehicle that has lessthan two steerable propulsion wheels. Crabbing motion is not possiblewith a trackless vehicle that has two steerable propulsion wheels thatdo not rotate about the z-axis (i.e., they do not steer). Such 18vehicles turn using differential steering, such as that described withreference to FIG. 6A. Vehicles used in the art of amusement rides, whichare known to the inventors, cannot crab because no known vehicles makeuse of at least two steerable propulsion wheels and a passenger platformthat rotates with respect to the chassis via use of a slew bearing.

FIGS. 7 A and 7B are front-lower and rear-upper isometric views of amotion assembly 300, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.The motion assembly 300 may include a lower reaction plate 302, apivotable coupling 304, an upper reaction plate 306, and at least twolinear actuators 308, 310. In a preferred embodiment, the linearactuators 308, 310 are of the electrical type. Other types of linearactuators, such as screw type and hydraulic type, are within the scopeof the invention. The pivotable coupling 304 is fixed at a lower end tothe lower reaction plate 302 and at an upper end to the upper reactionplate 306. In an embodiment of a vehicle having two rows of seats, toensure that the point on which the passenger platform pivots is noteccentric with the rotation of the slew bearing, the pivotable coupling304 may be positioned such that its vertical axis coincides with thegeometric center of the slew bearing 120. The linear actuators 308, 310are fixed to couplings 330, 332, respectively, at their upper ends. Thecouplings 330, 332 are in turn fixed to the upper reaction plate 306.The linear actuators 308,310 are fixed to clevis assemblies 334, 336,respectively, at their lower ends. The clevis assemblies 334, 336 are inturn fixed to the lower reaction plate 302. The couplings 330, 332 maybe realized as gimbals. The gimbals 330, 332 permit the linear actuatorsto incline at a wide range of angles as the lower and upper reactionplates 302, 306 move relative to one another in pitch and roll.

The motion assembly 300 mechanically transmits pitch and roll movements(about the pivotable coupling 304) to the rows of seats 404 fixed to thepassenger platform 402 via the upper reaction plate 306. The extensionand retraction of the linear actuators 308, 310 relative to one anotherdetermines the amount of pitch and roll experienced by the upperreaction plate relative to the lower reaction plate.

The maximum force required from each linear actuator 308,310 (forextension and retraction) can be calculated given information includingthe geometry of the placement of rows of seating, placement of thelinear actuators with respect to the pivotable coupling 304, and 19knowledge of the loading expected on the upper reaction plate 306. Suchcalculations are known to those of skill in the art. It will beunderstood that as the mounting points of the linear actuators 308, 310move away from the pivotable coupling 304, the force required from eachlinear actuator decreases as the length of the moment arm between themounting point and the pivotable coupling 304 increases. However, thisreduction in force is limited by the stroke of the linear actuators aswell as the speed at which linear actuators can extend and retract.

In a preferred embodiment the pivotable coupling 304 may be a dual shaftcoupling that is capable of transmitting torque from one shaft toanother, even when the dual shafts are not collinear. The pivotablecoupling 304 transfers torque from the one shaft to another, even if theshafts are not aligned. The pivotable coupling 304 is preferablynon-compressible, or substantially non-compressible. The pivotablecoupling 304 preferably supports the weight of a maximum passenger load,plus the weight of all hardware components that are supported by theupper reaction plate 306. These components include, seating,miscellaneous electronics including sound and lighting devices, safetyequipment and electronic monitoring and control equipment, and anydecorative structure designed to hide electromechanical aspects of thevehicle and give the vehicle an appearance that is appropriate for thetheme of the amusement ride. In a preferred embodiment, and asillustrated in FIGS. 3, 7 A, 7B, and 8, the pivotable coupling 304 maybe a U-joint (also known as a universal joint or universal coupling).

Use of the pivotable coupling 304 resulted in a significant powersavings for the vehicle in comparison to a vehicle that could providethe same pitch, roll, and yaw motions on a battery operated self-movableassembly. In the known art, ride vehicles may provide three or fourdegrees of movement. A three degree of movement ride vehicle mightprovide the experiences of pitch, roll, and heave. Pitch may be likenedto tilting forward or backward (as experienced in a climbing or divingaircraft). Roll may be likened to tilting right or left. Heave may belikened to the experience of being lifted up or dropped down along avertical axis. In addition to the pitch, roll, and heave experiences, afour degree of movement ride vehicle might also provide the experienceof yaw. Yaw can be likened to the movement of a record on a turntable.20

In a typical configuration of a ride vehicle, the experiences of pitch,roll, and heave are typically achieved by supporting the payload (i.e.,the passengers, the passenger cabin, and its contents) in a neutralposition using three or four electrical or pneumatic linear actuatorsand a system of lateral stabilizers. Heave is experienced by moving thepayload from the neutral position in the upward or downward directionsalong the vertical axis by extending or retracting the linear actuatorsat the same time and at the same rate. The experiences of pitch and/orroll are typically achieved by extending or retracting one or more ofthe linear actuators at the same time and at different rates, or indifferent directions relative to one another. As one of ordinary skillin the art would recognize, the amount of energy consumed to merelysupport the payload in the neutral position, let alone thrusting thepayload in the pitch, roll, and/or heave directions, can be significant.The inventors required a way to reduce energy consumption, especiallybecause the inventors were designing a battery operated vehicle.

The inventors recognized that when the payload was mechanicallysupported at a fixed height on a centralized pivotable point, thepivotable point was not required to move along its vertical axis, andonly two linear actuators were used (as shown in the embodimentsdescribed herein), the energy required for the experiences of pitch androll were significantly lessened in comparison to the typicalconfigurations of ride vehicles as described above. The inventorssurmised that in the configuration of the embodiments described herein,the linear actuators only consumed the amounts of energy needed to tipthe passenger platform upward or downward about the central pivot point;the central pivot point essentially was supporting most of the payload'sweight.

The inventors concluded that an enjoyable three dimension ride vehiclefor daily use at a typical amusement facility having large patronthroughput requirements, which offered the experiences of pitch, roll,and yaw, was achievable in a battery operated configuration.Accordingly, the inventors achieved a real world benefit of significantenergy savings by use of a ride vehicle having a configuration similarto the embodiments of the invention described herein, in comparison totypically configured ride vehicles.

According to the preferred embodiments, the pivotable coupling 304,which provides the above-described centralized pivotable point,preferably prevents all or most lateral motion of 21 the upper reactionplate 306. One can visualize the reasoning for this requirement if onewere to replace the pivotable coupling 304 with a spring with no lateralsupport. Although the spring can be constructed to support the weightplaced on the upper reaction plate 306, the spring, when bent, couldpermit the upper reaction plate 306 to slide laterally. An acceptablepivotable coupling using a ball and socket, spring, flexible rubber, orfiberglass shaft, or equivalents (assuming these alternative componentscould withstand the dynamic forces exerted on them by the movingpayload) would require the use of lateral stabilizing devices.Accordingly, a ball and socket, spring, flexible rubber, or flexiblefiberglass shaft, or equivalents, in combination with lateralstabilizing devices, may be considered pivotable couplings that arewithin the scope of this invention.

FIG. 8 is a right-side partial-cross-section elevation view of thevehicle 400 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Asdescribed above, the vehicle 400 is comprised of two parallel rows 404F,404B of four seats each. The rows of seating 404F, 404B are fixed to apassenger platform 402. The passenger platform 402 is fixed to the upperreaction plate 306. A pivotable coupling 304, is fixed at its upper endto the upper reaction plate 306 and at its lower end to the lowerreaction plate 302. Each of a pair of linear actuators are coupled attheir respective upper ends to the upper reaction plate 306 and at theirrespective lower ends to the lower reaction plate 302. In theillustration of FIG. 8, only one linear actuator 308 (located on theleft side of the motion assembly) is shown. Four wheels are coupled tothe chassis. In the illustration of FIG. 8, two passive casters 108, 109are shown. One steerable propulsion wheel 104 is partially shown. Thelower reaction plate 302 is fixed to the slew bearing upper-half 122.The slew bearing lower-half, or slew bearing base 123 is fixed to thechassis 102. For ease of illustration, the rotary joint 132 is omittedfrom the illustration of FIG. 8.

In the embodiments disclosed, the rows of seats 404F, 404B, which arefixed to the upper reaction plate 306 of the motion assembly 300 via thepassenger platform 402, can be moved in pitch and roll. Because themotion assembly 300 is fixed atop the slew bearing upperhalf 122, themotion assembly 300 can be rotated. The result of these movements allowspassengers sitting in the rows of seats 404F, 404B to experience pitch,roll, and yaw.

An alternate embodiment, in which the positions of the motion assembly300 and the slew bearing 120 are reversed, is within the scope of theinvention. In other words, it is within the scope of the invention tofix the lower reaction plate 302 of the motion assembly 300 directly tothe chassis 102, and fix the slew bearing 120 to the upper reactionplate 306. In either embodiment, the patrons would experience pitch,roll, and yaw. Nevertheless, the inventors found that the configurationof the alternate embodiment increases the difficulty of positioning therows of seats 404F, 404B in three-dimensional space. Accordingly, inpreferred embodiments such as those of FIGS. 1-8, the slew bearing 120is fixed to the chassis 102 and the motion assembly 300 is fixed atopthe slew bearing 120.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a vehicle 900 and system in accordance withan embodiment of the invention. The vehicle 900 includes a controller orprocessor 900 to execute commands stored in a memory 902. The commandsmay be stored on or in a non-transitory computer readable medium of thememory 902. The vehicle includes a communication interface 904 that maycommunicate wirelessly with other communication interfaces via one ormore antenna 906 or infrared 908 devices or equivalents. The vehicle's900 communication interface 904 may operate under one or morecommunication protocols. The vehicle 900 is uniquely addressable via thecommunication interface 904. Accordingly, a ride system controller 924,monitoring a plurality of vehicles in a ride, is not limited tocommanding all of the plurality of vehicles with the same command at thesame time. The unique addressability of one vehicle 900 in the pluralityof vehicles permits a command to be issued and executed by only the onevehicle 900. The unique addressability of each vehicle in the pluralityof vehicles thus permits unicast and multicast type issuances ofcommands. That is, a command may be issued to one vehicle 900, a subsetof the plurality of vehicles, or the entire plurality of vehicles,

The vehicle 900 includes a battery 910 coupled to a battery managementsystem 912. The battery system 114 may couple to a charging system 909via the use of contact or contactless couplings 922 known to those ofskill in the art. The vehicle includes motor driver system 914. Themotor driver system 914 drives the various motors of the vehicle 900.Included among the motors are the left and right steerable propulsionwheels 104, 106; each steerable propulsion wheel 104, 106 havingseparate motors for steering and driving (propulsion); the slew bearingpinion motor 827 (FIG. 8), and the motors of the left and right linearactuators 308, 310. The vehicle may also include a safety system 916,which includes various safety components (such as door open/closedetectors and the like). The vehicle also includes a lighting and soundsystem 918 including various lighting and sound components.

The vehicle may also include a navigation system 920 having one or morenavigation sensors 922. In a preferred embodiment, the vehicle uses afree range on grid navigation system. Multiple types of sensors 922 maybe used individually or in combination, such as magnetic detectors,optical detectors, and radio frequency detectors. The navigation system920 may control and monitor the motion and direction of the vehicle's900 steerable propulsion wheels 104, 106. In this way, the vehicle 900can be made to proceed along one of a plurality of courses, which may bepredetermined, without a need of tracks or embedded wires fornavigation, communication, or power. In one embodiment, a comparison ofa predicted location versus an actual location, which might bedetermined for example based on measurements made by determinations ofdistances from various fixed known locations, allows the navigationsystem to perform real-time course monitoring, to determine if anavigation error has occurred during a show.

Other types of navigation systems 900 are within the scope of theinvention. For example, given sufficient precision of its steering andpropulsion systems, the vehicle 900 might not require real time coursemonitoring. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle might use aninertial navigation system, or the like as a navigation system.

The disclosed invention lends itself to the establishment of a systemcomprising a plurality of uniquely addressed vehicles 900, 950, 960, 970(where 950, 960, 970 are similar to 900). Each of the plurality ofvehicles 900, 950, 960, 970 may be individually controlled by at leastone on-board processor (similar to 901), where each of the plurality ofon-board processors is in wireless communication with at least one ridesystem controlled 924, which is remote from the vehicles and utilizesits own processor(s) 926. The ride system controller 924 may maintainsituational and positional awareness of the plurality of vehicles, andexercise emergency control of one, all, or any subset of the pluralityof vehicles 900, 950, 960, 970 by wireless communication. 24

In a ride environment, where a plurality of vehicles 900, 950, 960, 970are traversing the environment simultaneously, the pitch and rollmovements of the passenger platforms of each uniquely addressed vehiclemay be synchronized to the position of the vehicle along thepreprogrammed route by distance and/or time. The vehicle, system, andmethod of operation of the vehicle and system find utility in theamusement park ride industry, but the invention is not limited thereto.The description provided herein utilizes the amusement park rideindustry for exemplary purposes only, to describe embodiments of theinvention; however, the invention is not limited to the amusement parkride industry and can find utility in any number of other industries.

In accordance with a method of the invention, a vehicle 900 will come toa stop according to a command from the vehicle's own processor 901 if acondition such as a system failure or safety violation occurs on thevehicle 900. If this condition exists, the vehicle can notify a ridesystem controller 924 of its situation via the communication interface904 and wireless transmission via antenna 906 or infrared device 908.The ride system controller 924 can determine if other vehicles should bestopped to avoid collision, for example. The ride system controller,using the unique addresses of each vehicle, may command a single vehicle950 to stop, if only the single vehicle was in danger of collision.Alternatively, the ride system controller, using the unique addresses ofeach vehicle, may command a subset of the vehicles 950,960 to stop, ifonly that subset of vehicles was in danger of collision. Alternatively,the ride system controller, using the unique addresses of each vehicle,may command all vehicles 950, 960,970 to stop. Any vehicle 900, 950,960, 970, upon receipt of a command uniquely addressed to it, can cometo a controlled stop.

The disclosed invention has been described above in terms of one or morepreferred embodiments and one or more alternate embodiments. Moreover,various aspects of the disclosed invention have been described. One ofordinary skill in the art should not interpret the various aspects orembodiments as limiting in any way, but as exemplary. Clearly, otherembodiments are within the scope of the disclosed invention. The scopethe disclosed invention will instead be determined by the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A motion base assembly, comprising: a. a lowerreaction plate, comprising: i. a first outer boundary; and ii. a center;b. an upper reaction plate spaced apart from the lower reaction plate,the upper reaction plate comprising: i. a second outer boundary; and ii.a center; c. a pivotable coupling, comprising: i. an upper sectioncoupled to the upper reaction plate proximate the upper reaction platecenter; and ii. a lower section pivotably connected to the upper sectionand coupled to the lower reaction plate proximate the lower reactionplate center; d. two linear actuator assemblies spaced apart from eachother and from the pivotable coupling, each linear actuator assemblycomprising: i. an actuator coupling connected to the upper reactionplate intermediate the second outer boundary and the pivotable coupling;ii. a clevis assembly connected to the lower reaction plate intermediatethe first outer boundary and the pivotable coupling; and iii. anelectric linear actuator constrained to be extendable and retractablealong a longitudinal axis of the electric linear actuator, the electriclinear actuator comprising:
 1. a selectively, forcibly extendable andretractable shaft defining the longitudinal axis of the electric linearactuator;
 2. an electric actuator operatively coupled to theselectively, forcibly extendable and retractable shaft;
 3. an upperportion coupled to the actuator coupling; and
 4. a lower portionconnected to the clevis assembly; and e. an electrical power supplyoperatively in communication with the two electric linear actuators as asole source of operating energy for the two electric linear actuators.2. The motion assembly of claim 1, wherein the upper portion of at leastone linear electric actuator extends at least partially through theupper reaction plate.
 3. The motion assembly of claim 1, wherein thepivotable coupling comprises a fixed length.
 4. The motion assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the electrical power supply comprises a rechargeablebattery operatively in communication with the two electric linearactuator assemblies as a sole source of operating energy for the twoelectric linear actuators.
 5. The motion assembly of claim 1, whereinthe actuator coupling comprises a gimbal.
 6. A motion base assembly,comprising: a. a lower reaction plate, comprising: i. a first outerboundary; and ii. a center; b. an upper reaction plate spaced apart fromthe lower reaction plate, the upper reaction plate comprising: i. asecond outer boundary; and ii. a center; c. a pivotable coupling,comprising: i. an upper section coupled to the upper reaction plateproximate the upper reaction plate center; and ii. a lower sectionpivotably connected to the upper section and coupled to the lowerreaction plate proximate the lower reaction plate center; d. two linearactuator assemblies spaced apart from each other and from the pivotablecoupling, each linear actuator assembly comprising: i. an actuatorcoupling connected to the upper reaction plate intermediate the secondouter boundary and the pivotable coupling; ii. a clevis assemblyconnected to the lower reaction plate intermediate the first outerboundary and the pivotable coupling; and iii. a linear actuatorcomprising:
 1. an upper portion coupled to the actuator couplingextending at least partially through the upper reaction plate;
 2. alower portion connected to the clevis assembly.
 7. The motion assemblyof claim 6, wherein the linear actuator comprises an electric linearactuator, a screw actuator, or a hydraulic actuator.
 8. A vehicle,comprising: a. a chassis; b. a first actively steerable propulsion wheelcoupled to the chassis, the first actively steerable propulsion wheelrotatable in a first predetermined direction at a first predeterminedspeed along a preprogrammed route without the use of a mechanical trackor a wire stretched along the preprogrammed route; c. a second activelysteerable propulsion wheel coupled to the chassis, the second activelysteerable propulsion wheel rotatable in a second predetermined directionat a second predetermined speed along the preprogrammed route withoutthe use of a mechanical track or a wire stretched along thepreprogrammed route; and d. a motion base assembly, comprising: i. alower reaction plate coupled to the chassis, the lower reaction platecomprising:
 1. a first outer boundary; and
 2. a center; ii. an upperreaction plate spaced apart from the lower reaction plate, the upperreaction plate comprising:
 1. a second outer boundary; and
 2. a center;iii. a pivotable coupling, comprising:
 1. an upper section fixed to theupper reaction plate proximate the upper reaction plate center; and
 2. alower section pivotably connected to the upper section and fixed to thelower reaction plate proximate the lower reaction plate center; iv. twolinear actuator assemblies spaced apart from each other and from thepivotable coupling, each linear actuator assembly comprising:
 1. anactuator coupling connected to the upper reaction plate intermediate thesecond outer boundary and the pivotable coupling;
 2. a clevis assemblyconnected to the lower reaction plate intermediate the first outerboundary and the pivotable coupling; and
 3. an electric linear actuatorconstrained to extend and retract along a longitudinal axis of theelectric linear actuator, the electric linear actuator comprising: a. anupper portion coupled to the actuator coupling; and b. a lower portionconnected to the clevis assembly; and v. an electrical power supplyoperatively in communication with the two electric linear actuatorassemblies as a sole source of operating energy for the two electriclinear actuators.
 9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the upper portionof at least one linear electric actuator extends at least partiallythrough the upper reaction plate.
 10. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein:a. the vehicle comprises a predetermined set of other electricalcomponents; and b. the electrical power supply comprises a rechargeablebattery operatively in communication with the two electric linearactuator assemblies and the other electrical components of the vehicleas their sole source of operating energy.
 11. The vehicle of claim 8,wherein the vehicle further comprises: a. a wireless communicationinterface; and b. a controller operatively in communication with thewireless communication interface and operative to execute a commandreceived through the wireless communication interface if the command isaddressed to a unique address of the vehicle.
 12. The vehicle of claim8, further comprising: a. a passenger platform fixed to the upperreaction plate; b. a predetermined set of rows of seats fixed to thepassenger platform.
 13. The vehicle of claim 8, further comprising: a. aslew bearing, comprising: i. a first portion fixed to the chassis; andii. a second portion operatively connected to a predetermined one of theupper reaction plate or lower reaction plate, the slew bearing rotatablewith respect to the chassis and operative to provide substantiallycontinuous, selectively controlled rotation in a predetermined directionto a predetermined azimuth position at a predetermined rotational speed;b. a slew bearing pinion motor comprising a shaft, the slew bearingpinion motor connected to the chassis; and c. a slew bearing pinionfixed to the shaft, the slew bearing pinion operatively in communicationwith slew bearing gear and rotatable at a commanded slew speed anddirection.
 14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the predetermineddirection selectively comprises both a clockwise direction and acounterclockwise direction.
 15. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein: a. thepivotable coupling comprises a vertically oriented pivotable coupling;and b. the central axis of the vertically oriented pivotable couplingpasses through a point at a geometric center of the slew bearing. 16.The vehicle of claim 15, wherein: a. the vehicle further comprises: i. apassenger platform fixed to the upper reaction plate; and ii. two rowsof seats connected to the passenger platform; and b. the verticallyoriented pivotable coupling comprises a central axis which passesthrough a point at a geometric center of the slew bearing and through apoint on the passenger platform that is between a first row of the tworows of seats and a second row of the two rows of seats.